New stellar danger to planets identified by NASA’s Chandra program

Apr 21, 2023 (Nanowerk News) An exploded star can pose more risks to nearby planets than previously thought, according to a new study from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other X-ray telescopes. This newly identified threat involves a phase of intense X-rays that can damage the atmospheres of planets up to 160 light-years away. The results of the study, led by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Washburn University and the University of Kansas, are published in the Astrophysical Journal (“X-Ray-luminous supernovae: threats to terrestrial…